Randwick deputy mayor Philipa Veitch has called for a review of housing targets,as the COVID-19 crisis slows population growth.Credit:James Alcock
Ryde's Labor mayor,Jerome Laxale,called on housing targets established before the pandemic to be cut,saying the current target of 7600 new homes by 2021 made Ryde"a developers'Disneyland".
"These state government housing targets were too high prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and they are too high now,"he toldThe Sun-Herald."The COVID-19 pandemic has seen good governments rethink their approach to everything;why should these insane housing targets be no different?"
Randwick deputy mayor Philipa Veitch said the long-term impacts of the pandemic must be taken into account when planning for growth."We can't ignore the fact that population growth is likely to slow and our housing targets should reflect that,"she said.
But developers say"NIMBY"councils are using the pandemic as an excuse to stop development. Urban Taskforce chief executive Tom Forrest said the housing targets set for local councils were designed to provide enough homes for Sydneysiders over the long-term.
Mr Forrest said the Greater Sydney Commission had set"modest targets"for each council,which,if anything,underestimated the forecast demand for housing in Sydney.
"To use COVID as an excuse not to meet housing targets is simply a deliberate attempt to avoid having to meet their responsibilities and smells of a council election just around the corner,"he said.
More than 700,000 additional homes will be required in Sydney by 2036 to meet demand for housing,the NSW government says.Targets for new homes to be built from 2016 to 2021 in local councils range from 150 in Hunters Hill and 300 in Mosman to 4000 in Ku-ring-gai,4350 in Hornsby and 7600 in Ryde.